THE RIDE ARCHIVES
A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF A RECREATIONAL CYCLIST
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THE YEAR IN REVIEW
2003
Well, as would be the case for anyone. This year I managed to achieve some of my goals and missed others.In terms of miles, I missed that mark big time.Not really from lack of trying but mostly from the weather this year. Seems that just about every time I had a ride scheduled it would rain.
I did manage to increase the distance of each ride this year.So I was actually on track to have a good year milewise, I just wasn't able to get the rides in.
I have increased my stable of bicycles this year, although I still don't own a new bike.I've got a MTB that I may try and ride some cyclocross races this year. And I will be able to ride more with the kids and Collette once I get them all up and running.
I will say, that I was kind of disapointed in this cycling year. Towards the end of the year my wife changed jobs and worked on days that I would have used to ride my favorite group ride.
Tuesday-May-12
This ride was my long ride for the weekday. I started out at Harbins school(as usual).It was a fairly nice day temp. wise anyway, although it was very windy with gusts up to 20+ mph. Wind is a good/bad thing. Bad if it's in your face, good if it's at your back.I started out thinking I would do the time trial route but the wind made me change my mind,as I didn't think I could get a good time. So I desided to do the Thursday route. The ride started out pretty fast for me, with an average on the 1st 5mile mark of 18.3mph.The ride went back and forth into the wind but mostly in the wind. I had some new flat ground records, hitting 32.5mph at one time,with several stretches in the 30mph range. To me that is such a rush. Over all a great ride.
Total miles28.8/Time-1:45:00/AVG.16.0mpg.
Saturday-May/17
Todays ride started out ok,And then went down from there.I got on the road at around 7:30am, the weather was ifie at best. The weather showed rain around the area,and it was a bit foggy. So I put my tail light on and set out thinking I'd just go until I hit some rain and then turn around and head back home. I started out ok heading out at a pretty good pace, At the 1st 5 miles mark I was avveraging 16.2mph.The first problem came on a down hill where I hit a bump and my tail light flew off of my seat bag.It took me a few seconds to stop and get turned around, I looked for the light but it flew into some tall grass on the side of the road and was lost. So on I went,as I got closre to the county line I noticed the roads were getting wetter(looked as if a bit of rain had been through. No problem it wasn't much and no puddle son the road so I kept going, The problem came as it was getting foggier.So I made a decision to turn around aand head home.As the weather didn't look like it was going to break any time soon.
TOTAL MILE-20.77- AVG.-15.6 TOPSPEED-35.5-TOTAL TIME-1:19'38 TOTAL MILE-20.77- AVG.-15.6 TOPSPEED-35.5-TOTAL TIME
TUESDAY MAY-20
Today I tackled the Time Trial course for the first time this year.well for the first time planning to record my time as official with the group.The weather was nice for once this week, with almost no wind but overcast.I felt good today.The only part of this course that bothers me is one hill that goes for about 3/4 mile,it's not that long but it is kind of steep.It is preceaded by the steepest down hill section,as I was starting this section I noticed a couple of riders at the bottom of the hill starting to go up,I decided to try and catch them.I did,as I got up to them I found out that they were an older couple.They were having a hard time going up the hill,I wanted to stay with thwm and talk,but about this time a car was coming and I kicked it in to get around them and never slowed down."Sorry old people next time!" Anyway, I made it up this hill in pretty good shape,and didn't loose too much of my average time, it was 17.9mph when I started and only 17.7mph after cresting the hill.After I finish ed the TT I then rode a cool down lap for a couple of more miles.
TT Time-1:06:30,Total miles-19.6-Fastest mph-39.5 AVG.17.2-total ride dist.21.23-total time1:18:00
Sunday May-25
This was my long ride for the week,also the 2nd part of my test ride for my commute to work.I started after church at Harbins school.The weather was great,sunny and in the upper 70's.The roads turned out to be fairly flat,or about as flat as roads around here can be. My time to my work was pretty fast with an avg. or 16.3mph for 15 miles.This is also where I desided to not bring my bike with me to S.C. when I visit because of the type of roads that are there.I only rode on one little stretch of that stuff and it sucked big time. I wasn't real sure of what my mileage would be today until I started back home and did the math,I figured out that this trip was going to be my longest for the year.I started to get a few cramps in my thighs somewhere around mile 35 but they went away.I finished the ride feeling pretty good and with some juice left in me.Compared to last time I did these kinds of miles where it almost killed me.
TOTAL MILES-43.19/TOTAL RIDE TIME-2:41:35/AVERAGE-16.0MPH/TOP SPEED-35.5
MONDAY MAY-26
This was my first group ride of the year. It was billed as a slow recovery ride, and it was for the most part.About a dozen riders showed up, young and old.The ride is led by the National Masters TT champion.The ride was a short 15+/-miles.This was good as I was unsure of my legs from Sundays long ride.They held out ok.
Total Miles-16.0/Time-1:05/AVG.-14.00mph
Wendsday May-28
Oh how I would love to say that this was a great ride but it wasn't.I really wasn't sure where I was going to ride and there was a group ride planned also.I haven't ridden this ride before and wasn't sure if I wanted to because the route had not been posted and I was unsure of the roads that they would be going on.Also thrown into the mix was the fact that I had a cold,I tried to limit my meds. to the early afternoon with hopes that they would wear off before I went riding. Whatever happened I did not feel like I had any strength in my legs.
I get to the ride start area way before anybody else so I just started out on an easy 10 mile loop to see how I felt.And that didnot help me much as I went back and forth from feeling good to feeling like crap! I got back to the parking lot about 15 minutes before the ride was supposed to start and there was nobody there. Strange because most people show up early to warm up. One guy did show up and we talked for a few.The ride leaders wife showed up to tell us he would be a little late so me and the dude decided to do a little warm up ride. We rode about 3 or 4 miles, when we got back the ride leader showed up. I decided to ride with them until I felt like turning around.This is where it really started to suck, I had no legs left, and my Heart rate was through the roof!Well I madfe it with them for about 3 miles and had to turn around.I will also note that the noted pace of 16-18mph was way off!I then went my own way and completed my ride.
TOTAL TIME-1:29:06-TOTAL MILES-23.02-AVG.15.5-TOPSPEED-37.0MPH
SUNDAY-JUNE-01
This was my Sunday Harbins ride. I left the parking lot at around 12:30 after waiting for a rider or two that were talking about showing up but never did.I never did decide on a route and just rode around aimlessly until I finally decided to go home. I was still suffering from the effects of a cold from earlier in the week.I didn't feel bad but had a runny nose that was bothering me(snot rockets the whole ride).
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 28.54 | 1:45:22 | 16.0 | 33.0 | 152 |
MONDAY JUNE-2
This ride was supposed to be a 14 or 15 mile easy ride, but somehow we decided to ride the Time Trial course which is approx. 19.5 miles. The good thing about this was the guy leading the ride is the Ga. or National Masters Time Trail Champ. So we asked him to give us tips and pointers as we rode the course.We rode at a pace faster than is usual for the monday night ride, but not so fast that it was overly burdoning. I finished it feeling good and was suprised to see that we actually rode it just below my normal TT pace.And to think that I almost didn't show up for ths ride.So far this year it was one of my favorite rides.
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 20.78 | 1:12:26 | 17.1 | 41.0 | 157bpm |
TUESDAY JUNE-17
Finally I get to ride!!! Because of weather, vacation and the kids in VBS it's been about 2 weeks since I've been on the bike.Well today I did the Time Trial route, I wasn't out to set any records or anything just to get a ride in. The weather was ify, it looked like rain but I desided to ride anyway,maybe thats why I picked that route as it never strays too far away from the starting point. The ride was ok, had pretty good legs,I didn't push it too hard since I haven't ridden in so long I wanted to have some left for the rest of the week.I'm hoping to be able to ride the group ride Thursday.
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 19.42 | 1:11:00 | 16.3 | 38.5 | 172 |
THURSDAY JUNE-19
Finally, I get to do the Thursday group ride!This is the ride that I did most last season and the one in which I based my abilities.My schedule has been pretty busy this year and with Lette working it's been hard to get this night free to ride.This is a fast group,so I judge my fitness on my ability to keep up.This night I desided to try and stay towards the front of the pack as I've read that the line doesn't accordian so much so theres a little less effort involved. Seemed to work. I managed to keep up until the 7.55 mile mark.I made a mistake early, I went up a hill in too big a gear and it took a lot out of my legs.It felt ok at the time but when I got to the top of the hill I was pushing it.I managed to keep up but was then at the back of the pack for the next couple of miles,which were fairly flat and fast,with the groups speed going over 30mph.All in all a pretty good ride.
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 20.95 | 1:12:11 | 17.3 | 36.5 | 179 |
MONDAY JUNE-23
The recovery ride.This was a pretty good ride tonight. I wasn't sure I'd make it as I have a bit of a stomach ailment,but I got there early and did a warm up ride of 8 miles to see how I felt. I felt ok, but it was hot out which didn't help how I felt. The ride started out well enough with nobody going too fast,which is good,because it is a slow ride.I felt ok through most of the ride but I made a mistake and did a sprint towards the end which left me with a cramp in my stomach area which never went away. I made it though.
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 23.83 | 1:37:00 | 14.7 | 33.0 | 153 |
TUESDAY JUNE-24
The Time trial.Well I was hoping to go out and take some time off of my last 2 trys at this course,but it didn't happen today. I tryed to use some of the techniques that I learned from a ride with a local Time Trial champ.although I felt a little better going around,I was disappointed that I didn't take any more time off my results.My 5 mile splits were all within a few seconds of each other. I think I need to take some time off of the 3rd split,which for me I was using as a recovery section to head into the last section.I will mention that I was still having the stomach problems which kept me from eating as well as I wanted through the day,and I forgot to bring my Powerade,so I was scrambling through my pack to find any left overs fromprevious rides.I'll try it again in 2 weeks and hope to improve.
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 19.20 | 1:06:25 | 17.2 | 40.0 | 173 |
| MILE/HR | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 |
| | 16:47:78 | 16:28:89/192 | 16:58:98/181 | 16:02:75/196 |
Saturday June-28
This was a rainy day ride, well sort of a ride, I was in the basement with my bike bolted onto the trainer, or as I like to call "The torture device". I hate to ride like tat,but it seems that I need to do more of it to get as many miles in as I need to to get my level of fitness up.And also to get as many miles in as I am needing.This year has been a problem with family commitments,the weather and sick days,my miles have dropped by at least 10% from last year.
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 8.00 | 0:30:00 | 16.0 | N/A | 136 |
Friday-July 4
HAPPY 4th Of JULY!!!!
Ok,enough with the hoopla. This was my first ride in about a week.And I could really feel it. I felt like crap for the first part of the ride, no energy and almost sick.I haven't felt too good in a couple of weeks.The weather was warm and muggy,welcome to summer in Ga!The route was pretty much an out and back loop,and I wasn't going too hard as I just needed my legs to fet in some miles and I expected to be cutting grass when I got home.Not a bad ride but I've had better.
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 26.16 | 1:38:15 | 15.9 | 34.0 | ??? |
SATURDAY-JULY-5
The start of the Tour De France!!
As with everyday this weekend my rides have been dictated by the weather, as it's been threatening to rain each day.So since it was threatening this this morning I desided to keep my ride close to home.I did some sprints and hill repeats. This is something that I should have been doing all along, but I guess I don't have the scheduling down to do this. I usually just get out and ride.Gotta work on that.
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 15.92 | 1:00:32 | 15.7 | 28.0 | ?? |
SUNDAY JULY-6
This could be said that it was my Sunday after church ride,which is usually a long ride.I usually start from Harbins school but desided to just start from home today because of the weather around here.No telling where the storms are going to pop up.I started out thinking I'd do my long ride and also tackle the steepest hill around here.Also of note is the fact that this was my 3rd riding day in a row! Pretty good for me,maybe I'll have my days riding in a row record this week!! Anyway,the ride started out ok,I thought I'd take it kind of easy since I did those sprints yesterday and was unsure of my legs, but after about 5 miles I felt really good so desided to pick up the pace a bit.Right before I got to the HILL, It started to rain,and since I am a fair weather rider I turned around for home with a goal of staying in front of the storm.On the way home a dog started chasing me,I wasn't too worried about it and was sprinting away from it when I noticed a Sheriff car coming at me, he did a short burst on his siren and pulled in behind me where the dog was.I was unsure what to do and kept riding thinking, wow maybe he's going to ticket the owner for having an unleashed dog.A couple of miles down the road the cop pulled up beside me, I stopped.He said he was going to kid with me about the fact that he had clocked me on his radar going 21MPH when the dog was chasing me. I told him I was about to get faster.He laughed I rode on still worried about the rain. I never did ask him what he did about the dog.All in all a pretty good ride although I had to cut about 10 miles off of it.
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 20.05 | 1:08:53 | 17.4 | 34.5 | 165 |
MONDAY JULY-7
4 Days In A Row!Thats a record riding for me.wish I could ride everyday, but family and life in general limits my time on the bike to take what I can get.Oh well.This ride can be broken down to 2 seperate rides. First is my warm up ride, which included THE HILL on Indian Shoals. I believe this is probally the steepest hill around,and I've been trying to ride it all weekend but the weather has not played fair.So I did a quick warm up ride with the hill as part of it.Then a cool down period and wait for everybody to show up and it was off for the recovery ride. I felt good, rode it with no problems.
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 23.56 | 1:31:35 | 15.4 | 36.0 | N/A |
WEDNSDAY JULY-9
The TIME TRIAL,Today I decided to ride the Time Trial course, it was kind of a last minute decision, I origionally planned to ride the course backwards,but at the last minute and to honor the USPS team for their victory today,I rode the course the right way.My thinking was since I've ridden a bit more this week maybe I could get a good time.But as I got to around the 3 mile mark my legs felt like crap, and there was a pretty good wind blowing, so I decided to take it easy.Heres the problem, I can't take it easy.This kind of sucked because even though I had a head or cross wind for most of the course I had really good times. I had figured that I would need to do better than 16:30 in each 5 mile split to break my old times. As you can see from my splits that I would have made itexcept for the 1st split where I was unsure of mylegs. Learning time here, a good warm up is crucial!Anyway despite what seemed like a head wind the whole way I would have broke my time by at least a minute. Next week the test.
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 19.29 | 1:07:00 | 17.2 | 41.0 | 173; |
| MILE/HR | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 |
| | 17:23:79 | 16:39:14/189 | 16:17:21/ | 16:04:87/192 |
MONDAY JULY-14
This was a recovery ride day. It could also be seperated into to seperate rides,as I am trying to get as many miles in each ride as I can.So I went out on my own a bit early and did a little faster out and back ride of 10 miles.Then I met up with the group and we went on the organised portion of the ride.There was only 5 of us on this ride,which included a couple on a tandom.Overall a good ride with only one problem, I almost killed myself at the end.I got a call from Collette she was ready to see me home.I was about 2 miles from the end and decided to hump it home. So I decided to go a bit faster home, I was doing great until almost at the turn in for the drive, I looked behind m to see if I could see any of the others and when I turned back towards the front I ran right off the road into some tall grass. I thought I was going to eat it big time as I couldn't tell if there was a drop off or what.I made it back onto the road safely,but not before scaring the crap out of me.I wasn't off the road but for a few seconds,but in that time it's amazing the thoughts that can go through your head.It was like "Oh Crap,Oh Crap,Oh Crap,hey Lance did this today,Crap Beloki!!!whew I made It!"Anyway that was the ride today.
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 27.72 | 1:37:00 | 15.84 | 38.5 | 160 |
SATURDAY-JULY-19
Finally I get out on a Saturday morning early.This was a hot morning and very humid. I could never get dry, even with all the new hightech fabrics the moisture stayed on me.This was a long fairly slow ride that covered 3 countys.Pretty much an out and back loop around.I went up the Indian Shoals hill, which is the steepest hill around. Only about 1/4 mile but a very steep climb.I felt pretty good when I finished.
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 35.34 | 2:15:10 | 15.68 | 36.0 | |
SATURDAY-JULY-26
Another early am Saturday ride!Wow 2 in a row!That's good but the bad part is These have been the only 2 rides I've done this week, not good at all.Reason being weather and I took a couple of days off where the family went out and did things,didn't leave a lot of time for dear ol dad to hit the road.This was a nother warm and muggy morning. It was actually pretty foggy when I hit the road, about 6:55am.And everything got wet real quick.For once I was hoping for a little sunshine to dry every thing off.This was another tri county ride,loop out and back up and down a couple of roads.I did not do the Indian Shoals hill this time as I hadn't ridden in a week and didn't think my legs were up to it,and still wanted to put in a good amount of miles.All in all had a pretty good ride and pretty much cut it a little short because I wanted to see(hear) the last part of the Tour.
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 40:85 | 2:36:40 | 15.64 | 36.0 | 163 |
MONDAY-JUNE-28
This was a recovery ride day.This also turned out to be the first time that I had to lead a group ride. Mainly because I was the only person there that had ridden the course and knew the way around.Leader by default I guess.The ride went ok,although a little bit faster than normal.Chalk that up more to having a ride with all new people and not having Dan there to shout out that this is a small chainring ride.I was also worried that I'd forget a turn or drop someone behind.But, everybody made it back ok with no problems.Part of my miles today were warm up miles,the first 8.7.
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 24.50 | 1:37:20 | 15.10 | 37.00 | |
TUESDAY-JULY-29
Today I did the Thursday group ride route to get prepared for Thursday. My wife is off so I get to make this ride for the 2nd time this season.This was the group ride that I participated in for most of last year,but because of scheduling conflicts haven't been able to make this year. I rode it at a pretty good pace trying to stay under my LT while still going at a pretty good clip.I finished felling good and still went for an extra 5 miles when it was done.The first 8.5 miles I was averaging 18 mph,good for me,so riding in a group that should be higher if I can keep up with them, I need to pace myself and not panic. I know I'll get dropped but would like to hang on for at least that long.Thursday will tell.
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 25.00 | 1:30:40 | 16.50 | 37.5 | 164 |
FRIDAY-AUG-15
Finally, a ride!!! This was my first ride in almost 3 weeks.And not because I didn't want to ride, this month I have been hampered by either scheduling conflicts or rain when I've been going out.Sometimes I just don't know how people with familys can put the time into a sport and still have time for the family.
Anyway, It was a good ride,as soon as I started down the road I could feel those healthy endorphines or whatever they are carenning through my body, ahhh,it felt good.The ride was hampered towards the end by my chain wanting to come off and always when I was going up hill.NOt a good thing as I've pretty much mastered the technique of getting it back on by nudging the derailler and spinning the crank as I'm going.A process that didn't work for me going up hill,as you come to a stop real fast when not peddling.All in all it was a good ride and felt good to get back on the bike.I hate to say that my miles are going to be really limited now as Collette has started a different job and the boys are starting their scouting and Awanas clubs.
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 20.45 | 1:19:20 | 15.4 | 39.0 | 172 |
SATURDAY-AUG-23
This was supposed to be a long ride.I did manage to get out and on the road at an early hour(8ish).The weather was not too hot and muggy, probally in the mid 70's. I started out feeling ok,but my bike had a noticable click coming from the drivetrain.With the earlier ride I was having problems with the chain coming off,so I desided to just take an easy route with not too many hills until I could get back home and determine the problem.My first thoughts were just that my deraillers were out of adjustment.Towards the end of the ride I came to the conclusion that it was my chain.My thoughts were confirmed when I got home and ran my hand around the chain,I found a broken linq..That sucks!
Anyway the ride went well ,I felt good and could have really gone for a few more miles with no problems.
I was riding with some new shorts,I believe they are Voler brand, Nice padding ,if not too big. They are kind of hot for the summer.I'll really like these during the winter months as they cover alot of area.Als had to scrounge tires, as my rear tire had started to show the threads.So I took one of my old front tires and put on the back.More money....
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 22.58 | 1:25:50 | 15.78 | 32.0 | 168 |
Friday-AUG-29
This was an after work Harbins ride.Since my wife has started working and the kids are back into their activities,my riding time has been greatly diminished.I'm down to just Fri./Sat./Sun. if I'm lucky. Then factor into that the weather and anything else that may come up my ride time is almost nonexistant.
Anyway, this ride started from Harbins school,as is normal at this time of year it was hot, humid and a chance of rain.There was actually a dark cloud looming over the horizen the whole time,and with this cloud came a constant wind.And this particular route that I was riding it always seemed that that wind was right in my face.Oh well the ride went ok, I cut about 5 miles off of the ride because the cloud looked like it was going to cut loose at any minute.
| 20.22 | 1:17:00 | 15.78 | 32.0 | 168 |
MONDAY-SEPTEMBER-01
Happy Labor Day!
This morning I went out planning on doing my longest rise so far.ALthough I happen to plan this alot this morning felt good and I didn't have a lot to do when I got home.SO I had the time.The original plan was for 50 miles.I started out around 7:30ish,it was pretty warm out and VERY humid.In fact my glasses aquired a haze on them that would not go away.And I felt like I was covered in a dampness about as soon as I hit the road,so I had no real way to clean them off.I figured they would clear as I was riding, they never did.
I kept my pace fairly slow and my heart rate in the 150's for the 1st half.I believe my average MPH for the first 20 miles was 16.7. not too bad.MY plan was to finish in the mid to upper 15's.IT was overcast all morning, I never looked at the weather to see if it was going to rain.At about mile 20 I started to feel some rain drops, and I was pretty much 20 miles away from home at the time.So I turned around and started to head for home.I also picked up the pace abit, as this stretch of road was fairly flat.I felt good up until I hit the 40 mile mark,at this time my legs started feeling kind of heavy. Then I ran out of water.I ate/drank a power gel and set out to do the last 5 miles.This was done on a 1.83 mile stretch of road by my house,I just road it back and forth until I hit the mileage that I needed.All in all a good ride for me...
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 45.40 | 2:53:50 | 15.7 | 36.2 | 161 |
SATURDAY-SEPT.-06
This ride was pretty much just a ride to go out and ride as far as I thought I could in 2 hours.My guess was I would do 30 to 32 miles.I actually got to start at an early time,7:00am.I was motivated by the fact that I had limited time to ride.It was still kind of dark when I got on the road, I was a little worried cuz I still haven't replaced my tail light.But I did have on my brightest jearsey.And luckely it wasn't foggy this morning.I went out at a medium pace and tryed to keep that up for the whole ride.The route that I desided on was a loop up to the Harbins school area and back.I included Indian Shoals hill,which is the steepest hill around these parts.A 7% grade average,but it's only about .5 miles long.
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 31.37 | 1:57:00 | 16.17 | 38.5 | 169 |
SUNDAY-SEPT.-07
Another attempt at a long distance ride.
This ride was supposed to be my long ride for the year. I figured with my success Monday with a long ride I should be able to do it today.But like most of these attempts this year, it was doomed to failure for some odd reason.I stayed out of church this morning(probally my first mistake)so I could get out early.The weather was mild but pretty windy.No, it was very windy.My plan was for an out and back route so that I would end up with 50 miles.The only problem was that the out, was into a freakin head wind the whole way.It took a lot out of me.I did not feel very strong this morning,and got my first cramp in my leg at mile 6 or 7, not good at all.I took it easy and tryed to just spin my way to my miles.I desided to turn around at mile 20 and just make up any odd miles as I got closer to home.I was also hoping to take advantage of a tail wind.I was ok for the next 5 miles,by this time I had stop a couple of time to eat and drink lots of water/powerade.But after that my legs started to cramp pretty bad.So I pretty much had to keep it in an easy gear and limp home.It's always something. But on a bright note, this was the first week all year that I was able to complete over 100 miles.about time.
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 40.09 | 2:34:23 | 15.7 | 34.0 | 155 |
SEPT.13-SATURDAY
Hole in tire ride.
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 25.19 | 1:36:27 | 15.67 | 38.5 | 159 |
SEPT.15-MONDAY
Double springs ride
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 26.86 | 1:36:12 | | 34.0 | 176 |
SUNDAY-SEPT-28
Another windy Sunday, and it looks like winter is trying to show its ugly head.The temps were not too bad mid 70's but you could tell it was blowing in some cooler weather.I may not be able to wear a single layer for much longer.The wind was blowing about 20 mph.That wasn't too bad, cuz the tail winds gave me some great flat course speeds.I was supposed to meet a new guy for a short ride then I was going to finish my ride alone after that.But as these things happen he didn't show up.I later found out that he got kind of lost and showed up late.The ride was ok, I did mostly the Thursday Harbins route.Also of note was a new helmet that I had on, What an improvement over my first helmet! With a windy day like I had the other helmet would literally feel like it was lifting off of my head.This helmet actually has good venting and I felt none of that lift. Very nice!
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SATURDAY-OCT.4
Time Trial! Finally, I broke 1:06:00, It was a great day for a time trial. No wind, the weather was nice, a bit cool at the start, but that was ok,as it meant not overheating. Only 3 of us showed up to do the course. And another fellow showed up right when we were getting ready to leave. He met us at different intersections to flag us on through. That was a nice touch, it meant that we didn't have to slow down too much to look for cars. All in all a great ride for me as it was my fastest so far.
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 19.24 | 1:05:15 | 17.65+ | 181 | 39.0 |
Sunday-NOV.-1
Finally!!! I got to get out and ride! Man, with the change of the time and the starting of the kids winter activities it is almost impossible to get out and ride anymore.
It wa a beutiful day! The weather was in the upper 70's and not a cloud in the sky.I made a mistake of asking a friend to join me for the ride today.First because I haven't ridden in a month, and wanted to open it up a bit, and 2ndly because he's a lot slower than even I am.Oh well. The ride was nice anyway.I didn't use my HR moniter or at least I didn't record my average with it, I believe the batteries are going down.I was also riding on new tires, they are a new brand for me, they rode ok.
| TOTAL MILES | TOTAL TIME | AVERAGE | TOPSPD | HR AVG. |
| 22.88 | 1:47:31 | 12.76 | low | lower |
